Beverage cooler



Bm FESON BEVERAG E COOLER 2 sheetsmsmt Filed Aug. 5,. 1941 Patented Oct. 19,1944

n 2,360,073 BEVERGE COOLER Floyd L. Robison, Fort Smith, Ark.

Application August 5, 1941, Serial No. 405,535

3 Claims.

This invention relates the art of refrigeration; particularly to liquid cooling. `This phase of the art deals in large measure with storage devices from which bottled beverages are dispensed, and within which a supply of bottles is maintained in a chilled state by immersion in water that is kept at a temperature slightly above its freezing point; and it is to such devices that the invention is particularly directed.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved rerigerating coil structure for cooler cabinets and the like, in which the coll convolutions not only provide a plurality or noncommunicating stor ze compartments but also serve to promote a ,d me. tain positive convection current flow uniform.,Y roughout the fluid to be refrigerated, whereby the contents of all compartments are edualiy and elciently maintained in a desired chille Another object to provide a unitary refrigeratihg coil structure and support means therefor wherein support means exercises a 'threeH fold function: to suoport the coil; to assure tem perature equalization throughout the fluid to be refrigeratedi and to guide the convection currents established in the iuid being refrigerated whereby it is caused to circulate in a, desired manner within the containerwlth which the coil is associated. A

Still another object is to provide an improved coil assembly for cooler cabinets and the like, in which a portion of the coil independently of the remainder is used to chilli drinking water or the like which is passed therethrough.

Other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 1n the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a top plan view of a cooler cabinet with my improved refrigerating coil unit mounted therein.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the cabinet, taken substantially on the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical section substantially' on the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure l is a section on the line l--ti of Figure 2.

The invention is illustrated in connection with a. cabinet of rectangular form having an insulated bottom end walls S. and side walls l, adapted to be closed at its top by a closure, not shown, such as a lid or sliding section cover. The cabinet is adapted to contain water in which bottles or other receptacles are immersed for chilling the contents thereof. A drain 8 is provided in the bottom of the cabinet', and extending upwardly from the bottom adjacent one end wall is a tubular casing 9 that rises c' its upper end above the suraceof the liquid ed. forms a conduit through which the leads ci -c rerigerating coils pass to the cabinet exterior. or to a bottom compartment, for connection with refrigerant pumping means, not shown. f

The refrgerating coil unit comprises a single continuous tubing arranged as i horizontal coils Iii, ii, iii and i3 -f nt in parallelism to fc-rin a pluralitg.f or ce -p 'tments ill, l5, it, ll, it and id, best Figure l. In disposing the tubing to provide the compartments, its inlet end 'it is trained from the ternperature control valve 2l to est "ld alongside the adjacent end wall 6 to the center thereof, where it is then directed inwardly along longitudinal center line of the cabinet as a rub .et a point approximately one-fourth the length the cabinet the tubing is laterally directed toward the adjacent side wall as a run 23 which conti a run 2d alongside the Wall aprox middle, thence as a run 25 lat i* to the center. At the center the run 25 continues in the disposed in longitudinal alignine 22, and substantially midway bet the middle vof the cabinet and its other end w the tubing is again directed laterally toward the side wall as a. run 2'! which parallels the run and which continues in a run 29 that is disposed alongside the adjacent end Wall and which extends entirely across the cabinet to the opposite side wall.

The tubing then returns as a run alongside the wall. This run 30 is of the saine length as the run 29, and is continued in a lateral run 3l directed inwardly in longitudinal alignment with the run 2. Run 3i continues as a center run 32 which parallels the run closely adiacent thereto and turns into the outwardly directed lateral run 33 that is longitudinally aligned with the run 25 and which is continued in the run iii disposed alongside the cabinet wall and coextensive with the run 2t at the opposite side wall. An' inwardly directed lateral run to then continues the tubing to a center run 'it which parallels the run 2iY closely vadjacent thereto. The tubing is then again directed laterally outward as a run lwhich is disposed alongside the adjacentend wall, continuing into the down bend the cabinet th run lel, vertical, spaced relation thereto. The runs of coil II follow exactly those of the coi1 I0, ex-

-cept that they are reversed in their direction of flow, and connect at the down 4bend 39 with the next lower coil I2. The runs of coil I2 are reversed with respectA to those of the coil I I, so that in position and--direction of flow they correspond to the runs of coil I0. Coil I2 continues to the down bend 40 from which the 4tubing continues in the next lower coil I3. The runs of coil I3 are reversed with respect to those of coil I2, and the final run of the coil, indicated at 4I,

instead of continuing from the center to the side of the cabinet rises vertically in the V-shaped clearance between the curves of the runs. At its upper end the vertical run 4| is laterally directed alongside the cabinet end wall and connects into the refrigerant outlet lead 42 which passes to the lead casing 9. The casing 9 also houses the refrigerant inlet lead 43 which communicates directly with the control 2 I.

Y A domestic water supply coil 44 is disposed beneath the lowermost refrigerating coil I3; its

runs following those f the coil I3. The inlet 45 and outlet 46 of the water coil are disposed upwardly through the V-clearance which houses the refrigerant coil run 4I, and are appropriately connectedto a vwater supply line and faucet, not shown.

The various vertical banks of coil runs are fixed in position and supported -by metal webs 41 of relatively high thermal conductivity. As

outwardly to the side walls, down and back to the center.

The webs 41 at the center coil banks serve also as deectors which confine the water circulation to established channels, while the transversely disposed Webs on the laterally directedcoil runs act as guides substantially confining circulation in the individual compartments to well defined ment a somewhat forcible, positive and uniform ow of the refrigerated water laterally over,

among and around the bottles as well as verti.

cally.

In addition to their functions as supports and guides, the webs 4l distribute heat exchange action over wide surface areas, due to their high thermal conductivity, and thus prevent icing of the coils which, as is well known, would greatly impair the eiiiciency of the refrigerating unit.

I claim:

1. A refrigerating coil unit comprising a continuous metal tubing having an inlet end portion and an outlet end portion, said tubing-beingbent to provide a series of spaced parallel coils each having a plurality of runs, the runs in each coil being in a common plane and directed substantially perpendicularly to one another to define compartment spaces, the runs of all coils following .the same contour whereby to provide coil banks, a metallic web member extending transversely between the runs at each coil bank and rigidlyv connected thereto, and an integral foot shown best in Figure 4, each support 4l consists of a vertical web formed at its bottom with an integral foot flange 48 adapted to seat on the.

cabinet bottom. The web corresponds in height to the height of the coil banks, and is formed with a series of transverse semi-cylindrical socket grooves 49 in which the runs of the various coils are secured by welding or other appropriate attachment.

As shown best in Figure 1, each bank of coil runs has its individualsupport web 41; two being utilized for the long runs at one end of the cabinet, and an opposed pair at each of the longitudinal center line runs.4 The webs are thin and l wide, and in effect form wall sections for the l various compartments del-ined by the coils. The webs substantially engage the coils over all straight portions of the runs, leaving open spaces at the bends of the respective runs which assures free circulation throughout the cabinet interior.

In service, the various storagel compartments are fllledwith bottles or other containers to be refrigerated, and the cabinet is filled with water to the level of the top coil or slightly thereabove. A suitable refrigerant is then circulated in the refrigerating coil system to maintain the water at a desired temperature, preferably only slightly above the freezing point. Due to the fact that each 'center line coil bank is of double thickness, maximum cooling action occurs along the longitudinal center of the cabinet, setting up forcible convection currents in which the flow is from each side wall along the cabinet bottom toward the center, then upwar'dly at the center and tially equal length disposed in the same plane,

parallel and closely adjacent, the tubing at the ends of 'said center runs being directed laterally outwardly in parallel relationship and connected by intermediate runs disposedv longitudinally at the sides of the unit with the tubing at oney end extending entirely across the unit, and support means for each of said runs, said support means including a metal web of high thermal conductivity rigidly connected to and extending vertically between the coils, said webs extending longitudinally of the unit at the center and opposite sides thereof and transversely vofthe unit at the laterally directed coil runs, whereby to denne with the runs a plurality of non-connecting compartment spaces.

3. In combination in a beverage cooler cabinet,

' a refrigerating coil arranged to define a plurality adapted for connection with a drinking water line carried by said supports.

FLOYD L. ROBISON. 

